While you were sleeping, the Indians were extending their winning streak.
Asdrubal Cabrera’s three-run home run with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning gave the Indians a 7-4 win over the Boston Red Sox in a game that ended at 2:02 a.m. June 5.
The Indians have won six games in a row and have pulled to within 3 1/2 games of first-place Detroit in the Central Division. Since May 18, the Indians are 11-5, while the Tigers, since May 19, are 4-12. The Indians are also back at .500 (30-30) for the first time since April 24, when they were 11-11.
With one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Mike Aviles reached on an infield single against former Indian Edward Mujica, the seventh Boston pitcher.
Michael Bourn’s single moved Aviles to third.
Cabrera then belted an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right field for his fifth home run of the season, ending a game whose start was delayed by rain for 2 hours and 28 minutes.
“It was a long day, but it was really good to win that game,” said Cabrera. “I was just trying to hit a fly ball to get the runner in from third. I know the pitches Mujica throws, so that helped.”
“Asdrubal put a really good swing on that pitch. He’s been swinging the bat well the last few days,” said Manager Terry Francona.
The win went to Carlos Carrasco (1-3), who pitched two scoreless innings in his first appearance in a game since May 26. Carrasco was one of six Indians relievers who combined to pitch 4 2/3 scoreless innings on two hits.
One of those relievers was John Axford, who was appearing in his first game since May 26, but also pitched well.
“As a manager it almost feels unfair to bring Carlos and Ax into a game in those situations, because they haven’t pitched in a while, but they were both outstanding,” said Francona.
The Tribe starter was Corey Kluber, who was making his first June start after his monster May, in which he went 4-0 with a 2.09 ERA, 60 strikeouts and seven unintentional walks in 43 innings.
Kluber did not look like Mr. May in this one. In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up four runs on five hits with two walks and just four strikeouts, his fewest strikeouts in a game since April 19.
“He wasn’t at his best, but he was still pretty good,” said Francona.
Kluber bobbed and weaved through the first five innings holding the Sox scoreless on two hits.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Boston starter Brandon Workman when Cabrera singled, stole second and scored on a single by Michael Brantley.
This was not Kluber at his best, however. For example, he had only hit one batter in 80 innings coming into the game, but he hit two in six innings in this one, including Xander Bogaerts leading off the sixth inning. One out later, Kluber gave up a monstrous, 422-foot home run on an 0-2 pitch to David Ortiz, giving Boston a 2-1 lead.
“He got way too much plate with that 0-2 pitch to Ortiz,” Francona said.
“It was just a bad pitch,” said Kluber.
The lead didn’t last long, however, as the Indians countered with three runs in the bottom of the six inning. Cabrera drew a walk to start the inning, and he went to third on a single by Brantley.
Boston manager John Farrell then brought in lefty reliever Chris Capuano to face the next three Tribe hitters, who were all left-handed. All three got hits.
Jason Kipnis singled to score Cabrera to make it 2-2. Lonnie Chisenhall reached on a bunt single to load the bases, and David Murphy, after falling behind in the count 0-2, blooped a two-run single to right field, giving the Tribe a 4-2 lead.
Following Murphy’s hit, the Indians had runners at first and third, still with nobody out — but could score no more, which came back to haunt them in the top of the seventh.
Kluber gave up a walk, a single and a sacrifice bunt to the first three batters of the seventh, and then Brock Holt hit Kluber’s 100th and final pitch of the game into center field for a two-run single that tied it at 4-4.
It stayed that way until early in the morning of June 5.